Immigration

Jamiel Shaw, Jr. was murdered by an illegal alien–a “dreamer”–the day after the dreamer was released from jail after a trivially short sentence for assault with a deadly weapon, and left to roam the streets rather than being deported. There have been many such stories; Jamiel Shaw’s story only came to light because his father, Jamiel Shaw, Sr., was called to testify before an Oversight Subcommittee hearing. His heartbreaking testimony »

I don’t think we have great debates in the Senate any more, but occasionally we have great speeches. A great speech requires a momentous occasion, and the effort to block President Obama’s unconstitutional usurpation of power, while defending American workers, is such an occasion. I am not sure what machinations are unfolding in Washington. Some reports suggest that Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republican leadership are in the process of »

A federal court has ruled that the Obama administration’s plan to issue work permits to illegal immigrants is–this is not exactly a surprise–illegal. But the Democrats are undeterred. Today, for the fourth time, they filibustered funding for the Department of Homeland Security, insisting that if Obama’s illegal program isn’t funded, the entire DHS must be shut down. In the meantime, it has come to light that the Obama administration has »

There has been plenty of speculation about how the President Obama would respond to Judge Hanen’s order that blocks him from granting, via executive fiat, lawful status to millions illegal immigrants. Would the administration seek an expedited appeal or would it seek a stay of Hanen’s order? Might it do both? Or would Obama reverse his initial decision and simply defy the court order? This afternoon the Justice Department announced »

In my post last night about the district court decision blocking President Obama’s executive order granting lawful status to as many as five million illegal immigrants, I did not discuss the important threshold issue in the case — whether the plaintiff states have standing to challenge the order. Judge Hanen found that they do. I believe this finding is well-reasoned and correct. Texas argued, and Judge Hanen agreed, that Obama’s »

Rep. Luis Gutierrez warns of “unprecedented militancy” from the immigrant community in response to the injunction issued by Judge Andrew Hanen against President Obama’s executive order on immigration. The militancy, he explains, will be directed at Republicans: The Republican party is making a critical mistake. The militancy that will be activated throughout the immigrant community — in terms of voter registration, voter participation, voter anger at the Republican party as »

When I first heard that Judge Andrew Hanen had blocked President Obama’s executive order granting lawful status to as many as five million illegal immigrants, I was inclined to downplay the ruling’s significance. Judge Hanen is an able jurist, but a conservative one, and only a district court judge. The opinions that truly matter will be rendered by less conservative judges further up the ladder. That’s still, perhaps, the best »

Michael Ramirez sums up Barack Obama’s position on executive amnesty decrees. I haven’t tried to add them up, but my guess is there is an Obama statement to the effect that he can’t change the immigration laws for each “It’s illegal.” Click to enlarge: There is no serious debate about the fact that Obama’s recent amnesty/work permit decrees were illegal, but the Democrats just don’t care. Hence the current outrage, »

Yesterday, Judge Andrew Hanen, a federal district court judge in Texas, granted a motion by Texas and 25 other states for a preliminary injunction barring the Obama administration from implementing the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (“DAPA”) program that was announced by DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson. The opinion is 123 pages long, and is, in my view, well-reasoned and persuasive. Several points should be made »

Two very astute readers have responded to my post about Scott Walker’s position on amnesty by arguing that Walker’s bigger problem is his apparent preference for seemingly unlimited legal immigration. Walker has said, for example: I don’t care whether it is from Mexico or India or Germany or Ireland or anywhere else around the world, if we have people who want to come here and work hard and live the »

Andrew Johnson of NRO reports that in 2002, as executive of Milwaukee County, Scott Walker signed a resolution that expressed support for “comprehensive immigration reform” that will “provide greater opportunity for undocumented working immigrants to obtain legal residency.” The author of the resolution says that Walker definitely supported it. Having signed it, he should be presumed to have supported, in any case. Will this news harm Walker’s chances of becoming »

As the implications of President Obama’s illegal executive amnesty orders come into focus, more adverse consequences are being identified on almost a daily basis. Here are two that have recently come to light. First, illegals who are given Social Security cards under Obama’s amnesty will be eligible for billions of dollars in cash payments from the federal government. That’s right: we will reward them for coming here illegally, and encourage »

He seems to think so. Responding to criticism by opponents of the Loretta Lynch nomination, Sen. Graham complained: Joe McCarthy said, if you don’t agree with me that that guy is a communist, then you’re a communist. I don’t buy that kind of logic. I don’t support the executive order. I don’t know whether McCarthy made the argument Graham ascribes to him, but opponents of the Lynch nomination aren’t using »

As I wrote here, Mitch McConnell is giving disquieting signs of throwing in the towel on President Obama’s illegal executive amnesty. This is particularly disturbing, given the history: during the lame duck session, the Republican grass roots were clamoring for the House to take immediate action against implementation of the amnesty. Republican leaders in Congress argued that such action would be premature until the GOP controlled the Senate as well »

He actually put it a bit more profanely than that. But first, the context: as I noted yesterday, the House has passed a bill that fully funds the Department of Homeland Security, except for implementation of President Obama’s illegal executive orders on immigration. Mitch McConnell has brought the House measure to the Senate floor three times, but each time it has been filibustered by the Democrats. Now McConnell seems to »

The House of Representatives has passed legislation that fully funds the Department of Homeland Security, except that it withholds funding to implement President Obama’s illegal and unconstitutional immigration fiats. Republican leadership in the Senate has tried to bring the House measure up for a vote three times, but each time the Democrats have filibustered it. The department is funded, I believe, through February 27. At that point the money begins »

With the latest jobs report published, Senate Budget Committee staff have updated their analysis of job creation and population growth. They start their analysis in December 2007, when the last recession began. This is their conclusion: There are two tables underneath – one showing foreign-born employment, the other showing US-born employment. What it shows is astonishing: foreign employment in the U.S. rose by 1.7 million, while the employment of U.S.-born »